NCARB by the Numbers

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards has released its annual report on architects, professionals working toward licensure, and diversity in the profession in 2015.

The report finds that the number of architects working in the United States has increased 2 percent since 2014 and the number of professionals working toward licensure has reached an all-time high.

Meanwhile, the number of new students enrolled in an accredited architecture program has increased 7 percent since the 2013-2014 school year, and the time to licensure has decreased. It now takes just over 13 years to become an architect from the time a student enrolls in school. But overall enrollment in an NCARB-accredited program has declined, dropping 3 percent since 2013-2014. 57 percent of students are enrolled in Bachelor of Architecture programs, 43 percent in Masters programs, and less than 1 percent in doctoral programs.

Also promising, now one in three newly licensed architects are women. In fact, women on average earn an initial license one year sooner that their male peers. Thirty-six percent of new NCARB Record holders identify as non-white, compared to the 9 percent of existing certificate-holders.

In Texas, there is a 60 percent success rate on the ARE, below the national average of 65 percent. Texas residents complete the ARE in 2.1 years, right on track with the national average, and complete the IDP in 4.2 years, faster than the national average of 4.3 years.

Of the ARE divisions, Schematic Design has the highest pass rate at 77 percent. Construction Documents and Services has the lowest pass rate, at 58 percent. Pass rates in several divisions dropped in 2015. This dip in success rates could be due to the launch of ARE 5.0.